Another Fine for Openreach for Unauthorised Putney Roadworks
This time company dug up Clarendon Drive without a permit
Council says it is serious about holding companies to account
November 11, 2026
Openreach has been ordered to pay £5,800 after carrying out street works in Putney without the required permit, in what is the company's second prosecution for a permit breach in the area within weeks.
The telecommunications provider pleaded guilty to undertaking works on Clarendon Drive on 24 April this year without first securing permission under Wandsworth Council's street works permit scheme. The company had submitted two permit applications for the works, both of which were unsuccessful, but proceeded regardless.
At a hearing on 3 November, magistrates fined Openreach £3,000 and ordered it to pay a £1,200 victim surcharge and £1,600 in prosecution costs. The total penalty of £5,800 must be paid within 28 days.
The court noted that this was Openreach's third conviction for permit-related offences in Wandsworth and took into account the potential risk posed to pedestrians as well as the company's failure to follow the correct procedures.
Street works permits are used by the council to coordinate activity on the borough's roads, helping to improve safety, minimise disruption and keep traffic moving. Utility companies and contractors are required to obtain approval before carrying out works on the highway.
The latest prosecution follows another case in October. Openreach was fined £4,315 after admitting carrying out unauthorised street works on Biggs Row in Putney without a valid permit. In that case, the company received a reduced fine after entering an early guilty plea and was ordered to contribute towards the council's legal costs.
Councillor Nick Austin, Wandsworth Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "Everyone should have fair access to our streets and public spaces, whether they are walking to school, cycling to work, driving across the borough or simply getting around their neighbourhood.
"The rules are there to protect that access. Businesses do not get a free pass to ignore them any more than individuals do. Where poor behaviour creates unnecessary disruption or puts other people at risk, we will take action.
"This latest prosecution shows we are serious about holding companies to account. We will continue to use enforcement action where businesses and individuals fail to follow the rules, and their behaviour negatively affects others."
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